Brake upgrade completed.

[tallbloke]

Trust me to pick the coldest weekend of the year to roll up my sleeves and get my good friend Mr Scott in to help me fit the Brake upgrade kit which arrived a week ago.

After chipping the ice off the locks on the lock-up doors, we plugged in an electric two ring hob and got to work.

Heres the kit I was sent:



Because my supplier had taken the trouble to obtain a Granada upright to check the fit of the components, the job went without a hitch, and here's the result.



Huge thanks to Keri and Scott, I can now feel more confident that the planned power upgrade will not leave me underbraked.

Better start looking at adding more transverse support to the rear suspension though ...

[rev-erend]

Well done .. looks quite nice.

Great that they were able to supply a new 'bell' and disc as they were very hard to come by !

Let us know what the brake performance is like when you have beded in the pads..

[tallbloke]

Thanks Rev, The discs are standard Granada items at 262mm dia I think, so I'm up to SE spec with nice light callipers to reduce the unsprung weight and improve heat dissipation.

[joospeed]

What size disc are those in the kit?
looks nice

[waynester]

Looking good..

Did you consider at the time fitting grooved and/or drilled discs? Do you think they really make a difference or not? Or just more aesthetic?

[tallbloke]

Hi Julian, being a tightwad, I went for the 'econopikey' upgrade deal with the standard Granada discs. Keri told me he had sourced some nice alloy bells and a manufacturer of disc rotors for those who want larger diameters and cross drilling etc.

[degz]

Whats a bell? and why is it shiny?
I will be upgarding my front end next month, had the bits for a while, bought 2 standard Mk2 grany estate vented discs,£26,they fit right in. Going for the AP calipers, but after lots of measuring there is about 1mm clearance from my wheel, thats cos I have 14 inch ally wheels. I will try without but may have to get 3mm wheel spacers. anyone else with 14 inch wheels trying this?

[tallbloke]

Degz, the bell is the dish shaped bit of the disc. Alloy ones are cool because they are light, which reduces unsprung weight, and can carry flat iron rotors, which are cheaper to produce in small quantities than all in one with the dish. It's the best option if you are going for larger diameter discs. Of course with 14" wheels, you won't be. Now your engine puts out more power than standard, couldn't you upgrade to 15" wheels? There seem to be sets going at reasonable money.

[tallbloke]

waynester said:

Looking good.. Did you consider at the time fitting grooved and/or drilled discs? Do you think they really make a difference or not? Or just more aesthetic?

Hi Wayne, drilling the discs has the benefit of reducing weight and increasing cooling and water dispersal. I don't push my car so hard that these factors really come into play so I'm happy enough with my plain discs. It's not a big job to chuck 'em on a cincinatti dividing head and cross drill cast iron anyway so I'll diy it if I want better performance. Of couse you have the nice split rim 5 spoke wheels on your 400SE, so the discs will be more visible than behind my standard cross spoke alloys.

[FrenchTVR]

Nice looking brakes. If it's anything like mine it will make the car much nicer to drive.

[mikek]

Who did you get your kit from? What was the price? I am thinking of upgrading mine as well.
thank you
mike

[tallbloke]

Haven't had the chance to find out how she drives yet. It was too brass monkeys and we were tired after we had finished so we retired to The Junction Inn for a nice couple of of Taylors by the fire.

[tallbloke]

Hi Mike,
Best discuss pricing directly with my supplier, Keri. You can reach him at this email address: [e-mail]. He can discuss your requirements and sort out the best combination of components for your needs.

[jchase]

And now on ebay there are some vented rear discs too!

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=27378&item=4506279432&rd=1

Anyone know if these are any good ?

[tallbloke]

Hmm, look pretty useful for someone who drives hard on the brakes. Nothing fancy about the callipers though as far as I can see.

[stever]

Nice one Roger

Oh they look sooo clean and fresh, shame to get them dirty! Interested too to know what difference you notice once bedded in, any clues to overall cost?

Cheers

[tallbloke]

Thanks Steve, can't wait to go for a :drive:. Maybe today if the weather comes nice

Keri asked me to refer interested parties to him for pricing info ([e-mail] and mention that I put you onto him), partly because things change fast as he is developing his business. Suffice to say that if a tightwad like me reckons he's getting a fair deal, the price is good.